Weir to be inducted into Canadian Hall

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DAVE PAUL, SUN MEDIA

SARNIA -- A Hall of Fame induction can make you feel a little bit "like you're being put out to pasture," admits Mike Weir.

But while the former Masters winner will turn 40 next year, he said he still expects to compete at a world-class level for years to come.

"The game doesn't get any easier." Weir said yesterday. "There are always younger, better, stronger players coming along."

"You ask yourself, 'How am I going to get better?' " Weir added. "It's a challenge, but it's also what makes it fun. . . . I still feel good about my game and I'm at a point where maybe I can use my experience as an advantage."

Weir will be inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame on Saturday in a ceremony at Huron Oaks, the Bright's Grove course where it all began for him.

"I actually started out playing at the little par-three course at the Holiday Inn with my dad," Weir revealed. "Then we moved to Bright's Grove, close to Huron Oaks."

Club pro Steve Bennett gave him his first job, working in the bag room. A self-described "golf rat", Weir said he would stay at the course after work and practise until it was dark outside.

"There was a floodlight that used to light up a little corner of the putting green, so I could keep playing after it got dark," said Weir, adding he would often continue until his mother had to call the course to have him sent home.

Bennett would sometimes notice Weir on the putting green and offer him impromptu lessons, "especially on the short game," said Weir. "He was such a master at it."

It's memories like these, Weir said, that make having the Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Huron Oaks all the more meaningful. There had been some discussion about having the ceremony during the 2009 Canadian Open, since it was being held at Glen Abbey Golf Course, which also houses the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

But Weir said he thought it would make for a hectic week. And, when he discovered he could choose his hometown course for the ceremony, the choice became obvious.

"I didn't even know I could have it there. I'm excited to have the ceremony in Bright's Grove. A lot of people have been really supportive over the years. I owe a lot to the community."